Workers in the Polish town of Suwaki heard something unusual last week. A dog was barking incessantly from a lonely, forested place in the distance, as if asking for help.

Luckily, they decided to heed those cries — following the sound until it led to a dog. He got stuck in a puddle of sticky tar and couldn’t move. The dog was in need of help.

The workers were unable to free the trapped puppy on their own, so they contacted rescuer Joanna Godlewska, from the Niczyje Animal Foundation. She raced to the scene, not knowing what to expect.

They believed that this dog was probably abandoned and he was seeking warmth when he happened upon the illegally-dumped tar — not realising that, upon lying down atop it, he would become hopelessly stuck.

No one knew how long the dog had been there, but it was clear that if he remained trapped, he would not have survived.

Godlewska was joined by a crew from the local fire department to assist in getting him out. As they worked, a glimmer of hope appeared in the trapped pup’s eyes. It seemed like the dog understood that they were saving him.

Rescuers carefully cut away the most tar-gripped portions of the poor dog’s fur and used cooking oil to loosen the rest. Then, at long last, they were finally able to lift him out.

The dog was then taken to the veterinary clinic to be treated for exhaustion and cleaned of as much of the tar that was left on his body as possible.

Luckily, apart from a few minor injuries to one side of his face, the dog was found to be mostly in good health. Since then, the dog has undergone several more cleaning sessions — after each of which, his sweet spirit continues to grow stronger.

The dog was named Farcik. Farcik still has some recovering left to do, but he’s surrounded by people who care about him and his future. When the time is right, Godlewska intends to adopt him into a loving forever home.